The Judicator
by Sword of the Coast247
Summary: The host planet of the Grineer has been infilitrated by many Tenno agents over the past 3 years. Currently, there lies a Tenno training camp beneath the shadow of the mountain of Everest. Among the Tenno resides a unique warframe- one that is the last known to be still in existence. Now he must train his fellow Tenno to be able to combat their enemy with any means necessary.Rated T
1. Chapter 0

**When Angels Fall**

**-**_**The Destiny, **_**Councilor Vay Hek's Flagship**

"All crew members, there has been a security breach. Report to battle stations immediately in sector zero-two-four b. This is not a drill. All passengers…"

Vay Hek stood with his fingers drumming on his desk in the control room with thoughts of anxiousness in his mind. A security breach- that was impossible and inconceivable. How could someone get into his ship without being noticed until now? The scanners should have picked up any foreign life aboard this vessel…so why didn't it? These questions went unanswered and into the grave along with his troops. Hek stared into the security feeds that were sent to him and found no abnormalities. He slammed his fist into the iron desk and howled with anger. Then…he saw it.

Yes- footage of a warframe it was. One clad in black and shrouded in purple mist. Strange…this was a Tenno he had never seen before. Of all the Tenno he had fought and beheaded triumphantly as they knelt in the shame of defeat, this was a shocker. He observed with interest as he saw this unknown Tenno cut down his troops mercilessly and without remorse as he saw in the actions of the defeated. The blood seemed to scream as well as his men…it was as if, Hell had opened its gates.

Hek grunted and shut off the footage with the push of a button and cranked the pump of his shotgun. Slowly, he got up from his seat and pounded his feet towards the door. As it opened automatically, he saw the carnage that was wrought from his foe-his enemy and a murderer. Blood had been shed violently and there lay corpses with severed limps beside them- their eyes seemed dazed in horror to what death had awaited them. Hek recognized some of his subordinates almost instantly and turmoil in his mechanical heart was beginning to turn.

"You sick bastard," He shouted with a metallic pitch, "Come out where I can see you- I have a little present. It's called the "Hek special" and it's just for you."

There was no answer and now the time for humor was over. He fired a shot down the hall and the noise echoed throughout the ship in a matter of moments. He shouted once more, "Coward- you hide in the dark! You have no right to be called a warrior!"

There came a sinister laugh in reply that sounded almost inhumane coming from all directions of the room. The lights began to flicker and fizz out, and the doors suddenly all locked simultaneously. Hek whirled around in circles to find the target he was seeking- he obviously wasn't there. There was the sound of scraping metal coming from ahead of him as if someone was scratching the walls with his sword. Hek gulped hard and his eyes widened as he saw that the sword was a sickle-no, a war scythe. It gleamed red for it had greedily fed on the blood of his men and the black blade shined maliciously at him with a dark fang-like grin with the Orokin word, "_Hate_" engraved on its staff.

Hek snapped out of his mindless gaze and let loss a barrage of fire against his Tenno enemy. The warframe did not retreat, but rather wanted to take the fight to him. The sinister enemy of the Grineer raised his war scythe high and sprinted towards him with no intention to stop. Hek pulled the trigger again only to realize it was empty. Hek threw his gun aside and pulled out a lightning rod with its tip ignited with white flames.

Hek readied himself for a full on charge, but did not get what he was expecting. The warframe threw down a smoke shell and the grey mist filled the entire room. Hek coughed violently as he tried to find his way out. He yelled, "Tenno, you hide in the mist! Come out and face me like a man!"

The smoke suddenly cleared and the Warframe was two inches from his face. The warframe said with a sinister smile behind his mask, "BOO!"

With one swipe of his scythe, he lobbed up Councilor Hek's arms and slashed open his chest thrice leaving him bathing in his own pool of blood. Hek fell to his knees in bitter mute shock as the warframe pulled out from behind his back a gleaming white and blue Skana. Hek took one last look at the Tenno and bowed his head. The man raised it high above his head and shouted, "BANZAI!"

And he felled the Grineer and brought his life to an end with one pitiless stab to the heart and one slice through the neck.

The man in the warframe stared blankly at the Councilor's carcass with his hands stained with the black blood of his enemy. He said into his head-set, "Master, thy task has been finished. Councilor Vay Hek has been terminated."

"…"

"Shall I dispose of his body?" asked the assassin at rest.

"No," came a reply from the other side of the communication line, "Leave it there- along with the rest of them."

"As ye commands," was the reply.

"Leave the sword, my servant," the Master continued, "Leave it for the Grineer to find. When they perceive that a Tenno has killed their leader, all of them will cry for blood and for retribution, and the Tenno will be forced to fight. That shall be the last chapter of the war…and their ultimate demise."

"The end of the Tenno is coming drawing near, my master," the black assassin answered while walking towards the warship's hangar where his shuttle lay.

"Yes…and my revenge shall soon be at hand," the Master said, "Have patience for you are my servant, my sword, and my shield. To them you are but a shadow…a ghost…a stalker in the depths of the oblivion."


	2. Chapter 1- Hellraiser

_**Hellraiser**_

**-Earth**

The Tenno Banner soared high above the encampment and wavered as the wind picked up into an intense breeze from the north. The sky was clear and there was not a single cloud in sight. The Tenno were...well, enjoying themselves. This was their training area of which had a population of about 60. Each unit consisted of 12 Tenno- later on in the field, however, the 12 would be split into groups of 4 thourgh randomized selection.

For each unit, there was a barracks. It was filled with the basics of technology and luxury that could only satisfiy the most humble of Tenno as themselves; most of them anyway- the Lokis are the ones who always seem to complain the most out of all of them. Each unit also has a handler- sometimes it's a sentinel programmed by the Lotus and maybe even an Elder. however, for Unit 5...it's a warframe unlike any other.

"Officer on deck!" piped the Ash who stood by the door to look out for the handler. Suddenly, the happiness turned into panic and fear. Clumsily did they form a line in front of the bunks as the sound of metal boots clunked on the ground outside. Then it suddenly stopped. The Excalibur stared daggers into the Ash and was about to leave when-

"ALRIGHT, YOU MAGGOTS!" the door exploded open as the officer kicked it down- it literally fell off its hinges and nearly smashed the man in the Ash warframe had he still been standing there. Everyone winced and stared in wide-eyed terror at their handler. His armor was silver, his helmet had a horn at the top, pauldrons of wicked sharp iron sat on his broad shoulders, a black skirt-like robe of leather covered his legs- warrior-style, and a mane of with energy in the form of lightning shot out behind his helmet. His eyeglasses were shaded with a black tint and his twin swords of mixed metals rested on his back. His head turned from left to right in wicked fast movements and he stifled a growl.

"Inspect-ion!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. The Tenno simultaneously pulled out their Skana and Mk-1 Braton in each hand and looked straight ahead avoiding the officer's fierce gaze. Except the Loki was having trouble with pulling out his Skana and was soon the only one who had not finished on time. The officer stomped towards him and leaned his face forward until it was only inches away from the Loki's.

"What is your name, son?" the officer asked with a dangerous hint of anger in his voice. The Loki gulped audibly and stammered, "D-David-"

"WHAT IS YOUR DAMN NAME, YOU SORRY EXCUSE FOR A TENNO?!" The officer screamed which made everyone's ears- including those in the other barracks- ring intensly.

"David Locke- Loki, sir!" He squeaked.

"Well, Mr. Locke," the officer sneered under his mask, "You earned yourself 50 push ups."

"But...my health...the doctor-"

"DO 50 PUSH-UPS- DOUBLE TIME!" the officer repeated more loudly. The Loki trembled at the knees and putting down his weapons, he got onto his stomach and began his exercise. There came a snicker from the ranks and like a vulture, the officer snapped his head towards the source- Excalibur. He stomped off and stood in front of the Excalibur with a menacing aura creeping out of him.

"Name," He spat.

"Jared Conlin- Excalibur unit, sir," The Excalibur repiled. He was calm, but he didn't expect the officer to punch him in the gut. He crouched as he grabbed at his ribs gasping for air.

"WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION, YOU TWIT?!" the officer yelled as he kicked the warframe's face with his hard metal boots.

"Nothing, sir," Conlin gasped. The officer leaned his body forward to get within eye level with the Excalibur. He sneered, "Then what was that noise I heard then, huh? You find this funny?"

"No...sir," He wheezed.

The officer stood up and looked at all the recruits. He said," You are Tenno, aren't you? You don't make fun of your kin! You don't embarrass your team! you are to embrace your siblings differences with grace."

When the Excalibur finally got up, the officer kicked him back down again. _Oh, that's grace alright_, the Rhino thought in his head amusingly.

"YOU ARE A DISGRACE!" He spat with disgust. Then he asked, "Do you know what the word "Judicator" means?"

"It means one who calls down judgement onto those who are to be punished," the Mag said. The officer stared into the swirling mask blankly and asked, "What is your name, girl?"

"Madeline Foster- Mag unit, sir," She answered with caution.

The officer raised his arms to the sky and nearly laughed hysterically. He growled, "Well, Maggy Maddy, you earned your team and yourself a trip to 'Everest' for not being asked specifically to answer my question."

Everyone groaned and he snapped, "I'll double it!"

Then there was silence.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" He shouted, "RUN, YOU METAL CHICKENS, RUN!"

When they were gone, the Judicator sat in his chair and sighed, "This is going to be a long one...isn't it?"

Then he noticed the Loki was still doing his push-ups so he screamed with authority, "Get your a*s up, you bastard! You're running two trips now!"

(I apologize for the vulgar language in this blog post (orignially I posted this on the wikia, but it seemed out of place). Please note that this is based off of my imagination and I do not intend to offend anyone. Please feel free to comment and I will appreciate any criticism given. Also please feel free to leave suggestions below.

-Sword of the Coast247)


	3. Chapter 2- The Hunter and the Wrong Prey

**The Hunter and the Wrong Prey**

Almost as soon as Unit 5 left, other unit members came out of their barracks or poked their heads out the window. Conlin could feel the strange looks gained from the other Tenno who were staring into him, and he could hear them murmuring and talking amongst themselves either saying, "There they go again, poor bastards." Or "Suckers, bet they wish their handler was a floating pile of metal."

His face burned with embarrassment as he and his unit pressed on down to the dirt road which leads to the tall mountain of Everest. He did not look up to face the blue and white peak that towered over the camp nor did his body seem able to. His neck felt too weak to lift his helm up anyway. _That Judicator can sure land a blow. _He thought bitterly. A few paces later, he heard the sound of hissing behind him and immediately thought of a snake- he HATED snakes. Moments later, he recognized that it was the sound of a vacuum leak- not from a snake. In the depths of his heart, he was glad, and then came a familiar voice after it asking, "Are you okay, Jared?"

Conlin turned his head sideways towards the direction where the voice came from, and expected to see Loki trying to play a trick on him- it wasn't. Instead, behind him a female warframe was running behind him- Saryn. He was surprised that not only was this the first time she ever even spoke to him, but she was directly behind him- Saryn units were known to be slow from what he remembered. Though, if he said anything about this topic, he'd probably get disintegrated by acid knowing her "poisonous" attitude.

"I'm fine, Ivy," He answered flatly, "It wasn't that bad."

"Really?" She mused with a small chuckle, "Tell _that_ to the dent on your helmet."

_What?_ Conlin thought as he rubbed his gloved hand across his helmet. She was right; there was an indentation right smack in the middle of his forehead. He replied, "Well, it doesn't seem that bad."

"Are you sure, Conlin?" Ivy mused, "Because it looks plenty ridiculous to me."

He cursed silently and tried to run faster to get away from Ivy's teasing. This was quite easy though- considering the amount of armor she had and the amount Conlin had attached to his warframe. Then suddenly something blurred past him in the form of purple lights and there was a heavy stomping noise of pounding feet- Volt. Conlin rolled his eyes and tried to keep up.

Unit 5 considered all Volts to be impatient, impulsive, and plus they mumble…a lot. This meant communication with a Volt would be extremely difficult. Though, Tenno never ask the guys to speak slower and more clearly; they thought the Volts would just ignore them- however, they were completely wrong.

"Slow down, Surge!" Conlin hissed, "You're going to make a fool out of all of us going at that speed!"

"Slow down?" Conlin heard the Volt say at rapid-fire English, "Ain't nobody got time for that!"

Then he disappeared while leaving a trail of dust behind.

On the dirt road ahead, lay a hidden noose that was spread on the ground…it was black so, technically, it wasn't really well hidden at all, but that was what the hunter was oblivious to at the current moment- he just wanted to eat. He laid down in a prone position just on the opposite side of the road underneath the bushes that grew wild along the trail. He kept his Latron primed and waited for his sensors to pick something up. Doing this wasn't very easy and neither was laying down for six straight days waiting for something or someone to get snagged unto the rope. Then, like a answered prayer, he heard the rumbling of feet approaching him from the road. He smiled behind his mask and whispered, "That's it...come on now...come on..."

SNAP!

The rope went up and whatever ran into it was now captured. The hunter popped out to reveal himself for the first time in a week. His armor was stained brown and green from the overgrowth and the mud, but it was clear that he was in a Vauban warframe. He exclaimed with enthusiasm, "Gotcha! Finally, I caught me a- wait, what the hell are you?!"

His eyes widened as he saw that what he caught was another warframe- a Volt to be exact. He could already tell that the Volt was angry and also quite confused. What's more is the fact he was running on the trail- nobody runs at that pace without something important to do. The Vauban asked, "Um, what the hell are you doing in my forest?"

"Your forest?" the Volt snorted with a low almost inaudible voice, "This forest belongs to Mother Nature."

It took the Vauban a while to figure out what the man was saying and when he did, he chuckled sarcastically, "Oh, ha-ha- so very funny. Now what is your name and unit, lad?"

"I don't take-"

"Don't be a dolt, you twit!" The Vauban said with annoyance laced in his words, "What is your name?"

_He's just as bad as my handler_, the Volt thought. He answered as slow as possible saying, "Jonathan Surge- Unit 5."

"Unit 5?" the Vauban asked with an unsurprised look on his face, "Let me geuss- you have a Judicator for a handler?"

"Yup."

"And you and your team are being forced to take a hike…literally?"

"Yup."

The Vauban chuckled saying, "You do know that-"

"Yup."

"Wait, you knew what I was going to say?" the Vauban raised an eyebrow towards the Volt's answer, "Can you read minds, or are you just that impatient, you bloody wanker?"

"Look- I'm running 'Everest', and I want to get it done as soon as I can," the Volt huffed, "So cut me down please- I have no time to waste."

"Number one; you just need to go 12 miles up and 12 miles down…do you know that?" the Vauban sighed with a rage slowly rising to the Volt's annoying tone of voice and the fact that he could barely hear him. The Vauban had turned up the communication volume up to maximum, but now it was giving him a major headache. The Volt nodded his head and so he continued, "Number two; that's a no can do- that rope is laced with Tesla powder and is motion-sensored. You move, you get cooked."

Then the sound of a stomach growling abruptly interrupted their conversation. The Vauban looked down at the armor-covered abdomen of his and was silent. He rolled his eyes and said with sarcasm in his voice, "Well, you getting fried might not be too bad- I'm starving."

"WHAT?!" the Volt screamed and yanked the rope which set off a beeping noise in which made the hunter flinch-apperently, he didn't understand sarcasm, "You'd eat a fellow Tenno?"

"Well…if I'm hungry enough, yes," the Vauban shrugged with another hint of sarcasm. Then, the Volt began to rant with his voice spiking at a high pitch, "I cannot believe this! You, sir, are a cannibal! A CAN-NI-BAL! HELP! HELP! THIS GUY IS GOING TO EAT ME!"

"Cut it out, "the Vauban hissed, "You're going to set off the motion sensor!"

"SCREW YOU!"the Volt shrilled back. The sound of more feet came and this time it was from Conlin. He slowed down to a stop and panted heavily saying, "Hey…why did…you…stop…Surge?"

When Conlin finally looked up, he screamed, "What the fu- What happened to you?!"

"Ask Mr. Cannibal," Surge mumbled with his rapid-fire speaking, "He's the one who got me in this mess, that low-life…"

"It was an _accident_!" the Vauban complained. Conlin stared at the frame for a couple of seconds and asked, "Can't you cut him down?"

"Too risky," the Hunter shook his head, "if he moves or the rope does too suddenly, I'm afraid this guy is going to be baked into a biscuit- it's laced with Tesla powder."

" You laced it with _what_?" Conlin could not believe this and yet, Surge was hanging in front of him. Plus, the rope was glowing blue and was sparkling with energy. Conlin didn't like Surge all that much, but a Tenno is always loyal to another in need of aid. He huffed, "Well, have you a glaive?"

"Yeah," The Vauban pulled out the spinning disk and handed it to Conlin who just stared at him blankly. Conlin asked again, "Why don't _you_ throw it?"

"Well…last time I threw it was on Uranus," the Hunter explained, "When it came back, my friend got in the way and…it wasn't pretty. Especially what it did to her-"

"Okay, never mind!" Conlin snapped pulling the glaive out of the hunter's hands. He aimed towards the rope and readied himself into a position like one would throw a frisbee. Then suddenly, a voice cried, "What the hell happened here?!"

Conlin jumped but at the same time, threw the glaive. It whistled in the wind and hit Surge instead and bounced off to the ground. Then Surge was suddenly shot full of electricity. He began to scream as visible tendrils of lightning struck him in all places with his shield rapidly depleting. _Oh my god_, Conlin thought with panic flowing in his veins, _What do I do?_

"Well, don't just stand there, man," the Vauban yelled, "Throw it again! Quick- his shields are nearly depleted!"

Conlin picked it up again and flung it at the rope. Luckily, it cut through the trap like a knife through butter, and Surge fell flat on his face towards the ground. The two male warframes rushed to him and Conlin asked concerned of his well-being, "You okay?"

"Conlin," Surge said with a hyperventilating high-pitched voice, "did I ever tell you how much your aim sucks?"

"Ah, thank God he's okay," said a voice behind them. The Vauban turned his head to the side and he saw four other warframes. He hissed, "Well, don't just stand there, you wankers! Call the doc, quick!"

(Jeez…how does someone miss from 5 feet away like that? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you want, please leave suggestions, comments, and critisms below. Anything will be appreciated. [Note; this is based off my imagination and is not meant to offend anyone.]Thank you.

-Sword of the Coast247)


	4. Chapter 3- Why Mistakes are Deadly

**Why Mistakes is Deadly**

The Judicator stared at the video uplink of the Lotus as she kept rambling on about "safety issues" to him. This was a common lecture; particularly after he would beat a trainee up. This time, it was Conlin- it was mostly Conlin. He was most likely the troublemaker of the bunch and was almost as bad as Rhino, but his problems lie in his temper issues. _That guy_, the Judicator thought, _he reminds me so much of myself when I was young and full of life…and that's bad._

"…Judicator, you do realize to establish a connection and a relation with your trainees is essential to teach them teamwork, correct?" the Lotus asked via video cam.

"Lotus, you are always one to question my teaching methods," He grunted slumping back in his armchair, "But have you ever heard of the word "discipline" before? It's quite important for a warrior from what I remember. Also, what about respecting the chain of command? That's a big one too."

"Discipline…chain of command," She repeated trying to piece the two together. "Oh… this is about "that", isn't it?"

The Judicator didn't pay any attention to her and in fact, he zoned out. He was sucked back into a memory- a memory that dated back 3 years ago when he was considered fit and able to go into a combat zone.

**Psamathe, Neptune- 3 years prior to the Judicator's commanding commission…**

"Alright, Tenno, I've hacked into the security mainframe," the Lotus chimed in through the voice link, "The objective is through that door to the left of you. Good luck- we lost a lot of cells against that thing and can't risk losing another one."

"You worry too much," said a voice from a Frost warframe, "Just chill out- we got this covered. It'll be cool."

"Your puns are horrible," the Judicator growled as he whipped out his Burston from his back, "Just make sure you get your head in the game, son. Losing to a robot proxy isn't like losing to a fellow Tenno- it STINKS."

"A pun?" the Frost asked.

"Come on, lighten up," chided the woman in the Ember warframe who was restocking her ammo, "After what we've been through, nothing can surprise us."

"Easy for you to say," the Judicator muttered as he aimed his sights on the sliding door. Prior to this mission, many Tenno in his unit of 12, perished because of underestimation against the Corpus and their MOAs. The members he had with him were the only ones who either didn't get wounded, sent to the morgue, or went missing in action and were presumed dead.

"Alright guys," the Frost said with a sure sign of him smiling beneath that mask of his, "once those doors open, be prepared to take down the bastards."

The lock clicked open ominously and immediately all three of them rushed through-

"…Judicator, are you listening?" the Lotus asked snapping him back to the present. He rubbed his head and wondered how long he was out. Realizing the Lotus was still there, he asked, "Uh, come again?"

"I said, 'Your methods better work because the Volt in your unit just nearly got electrocuted?'" She asked again. That got his full attention. He asked with growing emotions, "How did this happen?"

"I don't know," She answered anxiously- this wasn't good after all. He himself thought that Volts were immune to electricity, and now he knew that they weren't.

"Look into it then," He snarled through grit teeth, "I want the ones responsible here… right now."

It didn't take long for a doctor to come at the accident sight. Luckily, due to the Trinity's healing methods, Surge wasn't in as much pain as he could have been in. This was assuming that he would have needed to go through some extreme surgeries and such. The doctor inspected his condition carefully and asked, "Can someone explain to me how 5,000 volts of electricity passed into his nervous system?"

The Unit 5 members all stared at Conlin and the Vauban for answers. The hunter was the one to speak up first, "Uh…he got caught in one of my traps, you see. I-uh- was expecting heavy resistance in my catch so I laced it with Tesla powder."

"TESLA?!" the Trinity exclaimed. Her helmet was off and her deep ocean blue eyes glittered with tears and her eyebrows were now creased with rage. She sprinted up to him and karate-kicked him to the ground with a loud thump, and she screamed while holding him down with her weight, "Who is dumb enough to lace a rope with Tesla?! That could have KILLED him! Do you here me- KILLED HIM, YOU IDIOT!"

"I think that was the point," the Rhino snickered and the Trinity shot him the "don't-make-me-come-over-there" look and instantly the Rhino used "iron skin". But Madeline saved him just in time by saying, "Sarah, the man didn't know what to expect around here- especially where Grineer dominate this planet. It was an honest mistake."

"Thank you," the Vauban said uneasily. The Trinity-Sarah- huffed and brushed her brown hair back with her fist. Getting off of the Vauban, she offered her hand, but not without whispering in his ear saying, "Next time you touch him, you'll be pushing daisies, got it?"

The Vauban gulped and nodded in acknowledgement. Then Madeline turned her helmet towards Conlin and asked, "So what is your part in this epic, Conlin?"

Before he could answer, all their comm.-links went online with the Judicator at the other end. He screamed, " DONAVAN AND CONLIN, REPORT TO MY OFFICE IMMEDIATELY, you DAMNED IDIOTS!"

When it shut off, Conlin said sheepishly, "Well, that didn't take long."

"You first," the Judicator snarled at the Vauban- a.k.a. Donavan. It took about 2 minutes by truck to get back to base and during those moments, Donavan was muttering a prayer to a god he claimed that he didn't believe in. He laughed, "This…this is absurd, I know. But, I guess that's what I need- the unthinkable."

So there he was, sitting in the chair before the angry officer who was drumming his finger on his stone desk. There was silence at first, but then the Judicator finally blurted out in one explosive heap, "WHAT KIND OF MAN ARE YOU?! EVERYDAY THERE IS ALWAYS- ALWAYS- AN ACCIDENT THAT COINCIDENTILY INVOLVES YOU!"

"Now, sir," Donavan argued, "Not all accidents at this camp have my handwriting written all over it."

"Oh, really?" the Judicator sighed giving a long list of accidents, "What about the time when you pointed a bombard cannon the wrong way and blew up my Sentinel into two pieces?"

"…That wasn't my fault," Donavan complained, "Your blasted Sentinel was the one that scared me into firing at it. Also, the instructor made me hold it backwards."

"EXCUSES, EXCUSES, AND EXCUSES- THAT'S ALL I HEAR! And what about the time when you threw your glaive and it hit your friend in the b-section," He continued with a recollection of reports that were sent to him that day. It was awfully bizarre to him that a Tenno could have been so careless in a situation he was in on the battlefield. The Vauban argued, "B-section? Sir, it hit her in the bre-."

"That's what 'b-section' means, you perverted son of a bi*ch!" the Judicator snapped, "I swear, if I had a quarter for every time I heard that you caused an accident, I probably end up with 60 bucks!"

"60? Only 60?" the Lotus chimed in. The Judicator exclaimed, "Get off my comm. system, you cheeky bi*chu brat! You are just as bad as him only you have access to the helmet cams while we have our armor off! You are an even bigger pervert!"

The other end was silent so he took it for an "okay" for silence. The Judicator continued as he tried to level his voice, "Look- I understand that your ability to restrain yourself with making traps is…difficult. But if you continue to do these foolish things, people are going to get hurt- good people. Get my point?"

Donavan nodded slightly not knowing where this was going. So he continued, "If this stops now, I won't court-martial you okay? If it does…well, you get court-martialed. It is a simple request."

Behind his mask, Donavan had his mouth gaping wide open. He was thankful that the Judicator could not see it or else he would have scolded him even more. He replied quietly, "Understood, sir."

"Good," the Judicator answered firmly and with authority, "Carry on, Tenno. You are dismissed."

As he reached for the doorknob, the Judicator added, "Tell, Conlin that he can come in now."

Donavan grunted in acknowledgement and gestured for Conlin to get in the room. He slowly rose from his seat and walked briskly into the room and the door was shut behind him. The Judicator stared at him with his mask hiding his facial emotion- intense frustration. He growled, "Sit down, boy."

"I rather stand, sir," Conlin answered looking dead ahead and not down upon his handler, "With your permission, sir."

"Permission granted," was the officer's answer. The Judicator opened his desk drawer on his left-hand side and pulled out a portfolio with the name "Conlin" written in bold top center of the front. He slapped it down on his desk and opened it to view the contents. It contained a photo of Conlin without his helmet- he had deep green eyes with a hue of ocean blue, sandy golden hair that covered his ears, and a shallow scar on his left cheek. The Judicator pointed at a record of complaints that were written below Conlin's physical conditions and said, "Conlin, you are a disappointment. 14 is the number I had to call you in here for your misbehavior, and since then, there has been no improvement. What is even more disappointing is the fact that you said that you WERE improving."

"I try to do my best, sir," Conlin answered. The Judicator arose abruptly and slammed his fist into the desk leaving a shatter mark in the stone. He bellowed, "Your BEST?! What you've been showing me in the training field is your BEST?! Have you no shame?! I expected more from you, Excalibur! Your father would be very ashamed!"

Conlin gave no reply. The officer huffed, "Before your time, I met even worse people than you, and yet they listened to my instructions perfectly becoming the most famous Tenno of all time- one that became the most brilliant one until his death 2 years ago. How come you- a being in less of a critical condition or state of mind- can't do any better or even try to listen to me?"

"I…can't answer that, sir," Conlin said with the truth laced into his words as he stood firmly with his hands behind his back in a crossed position. The Judicator lost his will to yell and said quietly, "You know, when I was your age, I was almost exactly like you. I suppose you're wondering how I got here, am I right?"

Even though Conlin gave no sign of understanding, he continued, "I was stubborn and because of that, I was put in the field right away as a penalty for my misbehavior. This made me realize that not following my instructor's orders had got my unit disbanded. Too many had suffered under my ignorance and thus, I had to grow up quickly."

"What are you saying, sir?" Conlin asked. The officer snapped, "I am trying to save your damn life, boy! Listen to orders and life will be an assurance, understood?"

"Understood, sir!" Conlin exclaimed clapping his heels together while saluting to the now standing officer. The Judicator smirked and shouted, "Well, what are you still doing here? You're dismissed! I want to see some results, Mr. Conlin!"

Right when he left, the Lotus chimed back in saying with a slight angry tone, "Well, he reminds me of _someone_ I know."

The Judicator rolled his eyes to the heavens, and answered with a polite, "Shut up."


	5. Chapter 4- The Missing

**The Missing**

When Conlin got out from the facility doors, he wasn't expecting a welcoming committee- much less his teammates waiting while staring directly at him. He counted only five, but that didn't really disappoint him much. They had their buckets off and tucked into their pits for once- usually the Judicator forces them to keep them on. He would say, _Do you want the enemy to find out who you are and track you down by face recognition? No? THEN KEEP THE DAMN HELMETS ON!_ Yeah, he was very enthusiastic.

There was Hwang in the Ash frame, Browning in the Rhino frame chuckling like a fool, Madeline, and of course, Locke who was stuttering like hell which, believe it or not, was strange. On a daily basis, he virtually never talks unless talked to…this was different then any normal situation. Something was wrong, and Conlin was beginning to think he wasn't going to like it.

Coming down to them to investigate, he asked to no one in particular, "Alright, what happened to Locke?"

"You shoulda seen it, man," Browning laughed with a broad smile on his dark face, "Locke here was still runnin' Everest, right? So I hide behind a bush way up top by the turning point and BOO! I scare the living hell outta him!"

No one else was laughing. Browning mumbled, "Ya'll got no sense of humor."

"No, we're just not sadists," Madeline a.k.a. "Maggy Maddy" huffed, "You're the one needing the attitude change, mister."

Conlin flinched slightly to what Rhino's reaction would be. Though his expectation of Browning's face being hardened, his face actually softened up and he chuckled, "Girl, you got some attitude yourself."

"Can you please get to the point of why Locke is still in this state? Your pranks don't usually make him like this that long!" Conlin snapped at the two of them pointing at the whimpering Loki who was rocking up and down in a ball.

Madeline answered, "That's complicated, but let's just say it involves…photos in your locker."

"You didn't," Conlin growled staring at Browning with death clearly in his mind. Browning grinned and hooted, "Oh, yes I did!"

Had Conlin not restrained himself, he would have yelled, "You bastard!" and have started to wring that guy's thick neck. Though Conlin may not look it, but he was quite capable in terms of body strength. To end this conversation before Conlin could do that, Hwang asked, "Conlin, what did the Judicator say to you? You aren't being court-martialed, right?"

"Thankfully, no," Conlin answered with a relaxed sigh, "He told me if I kept goofing off, then –yeah- I'm off with the drum roll."

"As I perceived," Hwang nodded, "We better hurry- our next training session is up in 10 minutes."

"Which one is it?" Madeline asked.

"Sentinels," it took him quite a while to answer that question.

"S-sentinels…bad!" exclaimed Locke who shot up from his rocking position. Green eyes widened to the size of marbles.

"Jesus!" Browning shouted as he backed off into the wall behind him.

Locke answered in a joking manner, "Where?! I-I don't see him!"

"Locke?" Conlin sighed with irritation, "I swear, you got us all fooled with your act…that was an act right?"

Locke blinked, "What do y-you mean?"

Right before Conlin could answer, the Lotus chimed in, "Boys and girls, you got yourself 4 minutes to get to the training area. Book it!"

"Listen up! There are two primary sentinels that are currently used in the field today," shouted the Judicator towards his unit, "Any volunteers?"

Madeline answered with caution saying, "The Shade and the Wyrm, sir."

"Correct, Miss Foster," the Judicator said as he began to pace in front of them eyeing for any signs of weakness, "Lucky for you, I brought in a couple samples, enough for all of you."

Two elders had come in from the front door carrying a large metal crate which Conlin could have sworn he heard rattling and chirping inside. Boy, did it look heavy- already Conlin could see sweat soaked through the elders' clothing and could hear them huffing and wheezing audibly. They set it down on the table that lay in front of the unit and left without one word. Browning mused, "Sir, are we gettin' birds? To let you know, I didn't know they still existed."

"Oh, they do, Browning," the Judicator answered, "You'll be seeing plenty when I come over there and whack that senseless grin off your face! Drop and give me twenty!"

Browning obliged. He asked the others, "Any of you strong enough to pry the seal off this box? I'm too old for this crap."

Seeing as though there were no volunteers, he randomly called up Locke and Coolidge (the Frost) to grab a crowbar and pry the seal off. Locke stared at the red metal tool with bewilderment and his hands grew clammy with cold sweat. Locke was warned in the infirmary that too much physical activity would damage his body, and now seeing that he had a task to do, he froze; he just stood there in that same spot while Coolidge tried to slam the wedge underneath the gap that separated the seal from the actual box. After about 5 more tries, he hissed, "Come on, Locke! Help me out here."

Locke snapped out of his daze and began to pry it up also…slowly. After trying for about 10 minutes, the officer had about enough. _Miserable sons of hippies_, he thought. Heaving an exaggerated sigh, the Judicator snapped, "You are a bunch of damn weaklings Let a MAN do it-meaning me."

The Judicator snatched the crowbar away from Locke's hands and took aim at the box. His armor began to glow white and the tool itself was surrounded by pure energy. The air grew humid and the lights around them flickered and sparked. The hair on everyone's body was standing on end as the officer motioned his arms into a rotation towards the box. With one mighty swing, the crate busted open and soon 12 sentinels began to pour out from the large hole he made. The officer took the time to cough his lungs out and finally said with a wheezing voice, "That's how it's done, ladies and gents."

Conlin's eyes were as big as baseballs to see how an old man could break a metal plate while two younger men could not. He decided not to get on his bad side if ever.

Apparently, when he said "samples", it was meant for them to keep which did not make any sense at all. Conlin ended up with a Shade and about almost all his friends- there aren't that many- got the Wyrm model. Conlin tilted his head to the side, and the floating object of living metal tilted to its side too- it was mimicking him. The one of the two draping arms that hung below the body raised up and out towards him as if it wanted a handshake. Distracted by its friendliness, Conlin gradually raised his own hand and took the Sentinel's softly. It chirped almost mournfully towards him and cloaked itself from him pulling itself away.

"Conlin, you're making friends with the robot already?" Hwang asked with a Wyrm hovering over his left shoulder. Conlin shrugged as the Shade revealed itself behind his back.

Ivy snickered and said, "More like scared it off."

The Shade chirped flatly and sounded as if it blew a raspberry. Ivy turned her head and silently cursed herself- that wasn't really a nice thing to say to Conlin, and now she was regretting it in more ways then one. Her Wyrm beeped curiously at the position her head was in and she looked back at it. _I guess these things can see emotions through body language_, she thought with a wry smile behind her mask.

Hwang raised his hand up with questions obviously on his mind, and the officer eventually asked him, "Yes, Mr. Hwang, what is it?"

"What about the Dethcube model?" he asked pulling up a hologram of the sentinel. Conlin had to narrow his eyes to focus on the cube-like object that was being projected on that screen. It was quite…odd looking and almost unappealing to the naked eye. He knew its potential in the combat field and was also curious why no models were here either.

"Well, number one, they are FREAKING expensive!" the Judicator exclaimed making Hwang jump back to the sound of his voice, "Number two; we haven't the funds or the time to order such stuff. Plus, it's still being experimented in the field- after all; it's been only a week after arrival."

"Yes, sir," Hwang replied with no further questioning. Browning, however, was furious- he had gotten a Shade too. He found them quite useless and wasn't very thankful for the abilities they provide- he was one of the more…aggressive types of people.

Browning complained, "Man, this one sucks! It can't shoot for sh*t."

Apparently, the Sentinel wasn't deaf and so it cloaked his owner with its ability with one angry beep, but had also shot a round where Browning's head was. The rest of the people stood with a dazed look on their faces and looked around. Browning was gone and there was a loud thump on the metal floor.

"Scan the room!" the Judicator exclaimed searching for abnormalities on the floor tiles. Nothing was there. _Damn it_, he thought through grit teeth. He looked at Hwang who was doing a sweep and was given the shake of a head- he wasn't here.

His mind was racing at high speed looking for solutions to how Browning couldn't be on the floor- did he get teleported to a different location? Did he walk out?-no, he couldn't or else they would have heard something. The only other explanation could have been that he…no, the Judicator couldn't dwell on such thoughts. He ordered the rest of the unit, "Alright- spread out and search for Browning. If he did manage to leave this room, he couldn't have gone far. Check for movement and the energy level in the air- if it spikes to over 30, he's close. Understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" they answered in unison as they marched out in groups of two.

"Lotus," the officer said speaking into his communication-link, "do a full heat and bios signature- see if one matches the profile of Mr. Browning."

"I'm not your servant," the lady replied, "Remember-I'm only doing this after what had happened to your unit on Neptune."

The Judicator froze. How could he have forgotten? He…no- his thoughts must not dwell on the past. Right now, he has to focus on leading his men onward and forward into the heart of battle which he felt like was coming soon.

"Judicator," the Lotus chimed in once more, "we've got another issue."

"What's up?" he asked pulling up an image of her in his helmet camera.

"It appears the Grineer have captured some of our Tenno agents approximately twenty minutes ago," she explained while crossing her hands on her lap, "It also seems that they are going to be executed tomorrow."

"For what?" he asked with a surprised look on his face. The Grineer forces NEVER execute their prisoners- torture them maybe, but never execute. It was too official and it would attract a lot of attention from both sides. The Lotus took a while to answer back to his question- in fact, she _didn't _answer. He repeated himself with a more commanding voice, "_FOR WHAT_?"

"For the assassination of Councilor Vay Hek," she answered slowly as if unsure of her answer. The Judicator froze. He cautioned his next words carefully and asked, "They _killed_ Hek?"

"No," she said quickly which filled the old man with suspicion, "They were on a reconnaissance mission in Mars. They were to infiltrate a Corpus cruiser and check it out- like a normal easy entrance-and-exit routine you used to do. The Grineer had apparently took it over by force and pinned down the squad until they surrendered."

"Then who killed Hek?" he asked with him feeling as if his question wasn't answered.

"We don't know!" she snapped suddenly.

The Judicator eyed her with a flame burning in his heart- anger, yes…that was it. The Lotus hid too much and still expected all the Tenno to obey her will to every extent. She may say that she didn't know about the assassination, but he knew that she did. What was it that his commanding officer once said? The Judicator smiled as if he were in front of him at that moment.

He would have said, "A leader is only capable to lead if he or she is loyal to his or her own men and willing to die alongside them. Otherwise, why waste yourself to lead a force effortless and without any determination to win? Why waste your time with those whom you would consider strangers, and why would you want to make them do something you would not? No- a leader is as much of a soldier as anyone else, or otherwise… he is nothing more than a coward."

Cowardice- that is what his officer described the actions of the Lotus. But the Judicator couldn't waste time on proving his officer's statement- there were lives needed to be saved.

The Judicator had gone done to the arsenal and gunsmith bunker which stood about sixty meters to the right of his office to suit up. Problem- there was nothing in sight. The old veteran let out a sigh and muttered, "Those damned Vaubans and French engineers- think they're so smart. 'Hiding weapons are a safety concern and hazardous to children'-pfft, yeah right."

The officer looked around the seemingly empty room and spotted a large red button that read: "Do NOT Touch". It was worth a shot. He smashed it in with the palm of his hand and instantly, the wall flipped around horizontally to about 180 degrees revealing a whole selection of weapons. The old man smiled and shook his head. _At least they got something right._

It was hard to choose between all the new gizmos and toys that the Tenno have created over the last 3 years and all the old classics. He pulled off a Burston the rack and stared at it contently. He had used it in many conflicts and missions throughout his services, and it was the most comfortable weapon he had ever used. It would be common sense to choose this weapon, but sadly, it was because of his conformability of this weapon and the combat he was used to when using it which caused the death of three of his friends. So he chose the Snipetron which was another old favorite. Considering that he would have to get past guards, it probably is best to attack from a distance.

The side arm selections were quite…limited. It would have seemed like someone or a group of people had taken most of the weapons for their own use. All that was left were a Lato, a Lex, and a pair of Kunai throwing knives. Funny- he hasn't seen knives like these since his unit was allowed to watch "movies". He took up a knife and inspected it carefully. He eyed the light bulb above him and flung the knife towards it. The bulb shattered into tiny shards of glass and now the room was only half-lit. His eyebrows rose- Kunai were a definite "yes".

Now choosing his sword, however, was the difficult part. The Judicator has worked with many swords, blades, and staffs before, and they all were equal in his mind. His eyes drifted from the normal standard issue Skana to the small Fang blades. He knew that Grineer would be the most likely of enemies he would have to fight around here so he decided to take them off the rack.

Now he was ready to roll out to save those Tenno prisoners…or so he thought. By the door he saw the familiar face and shape of a person he hadn't seen in years. His jaw dropped and he whispered, "Irene."

(Note: I had to make a new kind of splitting- the line I use doesn't work on this page...it may not come up at all...

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I am sorry I have not posted anything for a while, but alas, here it is; the fourth chapter!)


	6. Chapter 5-Reunion and the Return of Pain

**Reunion and the Return of Pain**

"Hello…Jude," Irene answered quietly. She was leaning against the doorway with her arms hugging her helmet close. As she had three years ago, she was still wearing the same blue and white Nyx warframe unit and her usual long brown hair was tied into a ponytail which rested on her right shoulder.

Irene's sharp brown eyes examined every inch of the Judicator like a surgeon would examine his patient. When she was done, she said, "I didn't know you were still around."

"I've still got time," the old officer shrugged which shifted the weight of his equipment awkwardly to his left. He stumbled under the pressure and nearly fell if Irene hadn't caught him. The Judicator kept his gaze away from the female with his cheeks reddening with embarrassment. It was almost disgraceful that she had to look at him that way meaning the "you're-going-out-there-in-the-field-even-though-y ou're-so-old" look. He used to be her partner a few years back and that was even before he became the Judicator. Yes, he had quite the history.

"You can't even carry this?" Irene mused taking the Snipetron off his back and into her arms, "My, have you grown."

"Irene, this really doesn't concern your involvement," the Judicator said reaching for the long gun which Irene suddenly hid behind her back. Now he was getting irritated. He barked an order like one he would have given to his trainees, "GIVE IT BACK, TENNO!"

Irene smirked and answered, "Jude, you don't have authority over me- you never have and never will. Anyway, your mission IS my business because I was the one that suggested you to be apart of the team."

The Judicator froze in place and asked, "You want to have _me_ on the team? What about the others- they are probably more capable than me at the current moment."

"That's the thing," Irene's face darkened, "Those Tenno- the ones we're saving- they are the remaining members of our past unit."

That got his attention once more and with more emotions going through his mind. He had mixed feelings for his former team, and most of them he still hates or utterly dislikes. But whether he liked them or not, it would be rude not to save his former colleagues. He asked, "Who exactly?"

"James, Derek, and Jessica," She answered, "They were given information from one of our leads about that cruiser- he was saying that there was some artifact there."

"Orokin origin?" Judicator asked.

"We don't know," She shook her head, "But whatever the circumstance was, we took the mission into effect. The first thing James said when they got into the cruiser was that it was empty."

"It was empty?"

"Indeed," She answered, "That was when the Grineer showed up. They came on transport drillers."

The Judicator stared at her blankly. Irene rolled her eyes saying, "You really need to get out more- then again, you're too old for combat…why did I suggest you again? Anyway, Drillers, as the name implies, are pods filled with about 10 to 12 troops that are shot out of the galleons. The pods spin like a round from a rifle and the point smashes through…"

"OK," the old officer snapped, "I get the picture. Now, what happened then?"

"Communications went down," She shrugged, "The Galleon nearby must have had a frequency-jamming device onboard because we couldn't get a message through."

"Those Grineer must be very tense then," He thought aloud. Irene nodded in agreement who had given him back his weapon. The old man tried to read her expressions on her face to see any signs of emotions. He usually did this to inspect his trainees, but here it was failing- he couldn't read her at all. This frustrated him.

"About the cruiser," He began, "Were you able to salvage the security feeds?"

"Yes- why do you ask?" Irene answered with another question.

"Can I see them?"

"Sure- from what time?"

"Show me the footage 20 minutes prior to the infiltration," He demanded which made Irene raise her eyebrows, "Then play it- I think there might be some evidence to what the artifact or whatever was what you were looking for."

"Smart," She thought aloud, "Never knew you to have such brains, Jude."

"Never knew you had a thing for tacky nicknames," He countered back which made Irene shut her mouth.

"Cliché," She finally replied. Though, the Judicator was already leaving her behind saying, "You also still talk too much!"

**Some time later…**

"Hold it…hold…wait- go back a little…a little more…"

The Judicator and his former colleague uploaded the salvaged video feeds to a screen in the computer lab. The owner- a Mag by the name of Maria- refused at first until they compromised saying that they'll grant her access to the movie archives. Movies- especially in this time period- were rare and when they did have one, it would be in a vault. No one but a select few had access to it. Luckily, Irene had a key to the vault, and although this worked, the two of them couldn't help but chuckle.

"Do you remember the first movie we ever saw?" Irene asked the old officer who was keeping his eyes glued to the screen. He had a remote in his right hand which he was furiously smashing buttons with- while he was hoping that he wouldn't need to pay for damage repairs. Irene found his worry ridiculous and contradicting seeing as though he was still bashing the keys with his fingers.

"No," He answered from the corner of his mouth, "Please refresh my memory."

Irene put her hands on her hips with a look of exasperation. She snapped, "How do you _not_ remember!? It was the first time w-we…uh…"

"We did what?" the Judicator asked. He put the video on pause, and looked at her as she was stammering. Her cheeks blushed with the color of roses and she took her gaze away from him. The old man's attention was then brought back to the screen. Irene looked back at him sadly and recalled the day they had watched their first film.

**3 Years Prior to Present Time…**

"Alright, alright- I'm coming," a voice huffed. In a Tenno camp, that now no longer exists, there was a big commotion in the center. Rumors spread out about what the whole thing was about, but now it was revealed to be a projector and a disc player which plays films recorded on what people used to call DVDs.

In particular to the vast crowd of Tenno, there was a couple. The female had long mane-like brown hair, twinkling auburn eyes that shone in the starlight, and a wide grin on her face. She was holding hands with a man and they stood side-by-side. He was tall with broad shoulders. His hair was tinted grayish-black and had a hardened but pained expression on his face. He, unlike the woman, did not seem to enjoy movies. Either that or she was squeezing his hand too hard.

"Come on, Irene," the man complained, "Do we have to watch it?"

"Of course we do," She answered firmly, "This is a once-in-a-life-time chance, and we- especially _moi_- aren't going to miss it for the world!"

The man groaned audibly while taking their seats in the front row. His instructor- a stout but well-built man- grinned at them and waved. Irene waved back, but the latter did not. The instructor had in his hands a DVD disc and he put it into the player with caution. Instantly, the screen that was set up in front of the Tenno audience lit up with the movie title "Les Miserable".

**30 Minutes later…**

The audience was literally in tears through the first 30 minutes of the film- the man was not. He stared at the screen with interest and rather smiled at the acting and the singing rather than breaking down into tears like Irene was beside him. She buried her face into his shoulder- making his uniform wet- and would hold his left hand with hers. The man rolled his eyes- _It isn't that depressing_, he thought in his head, but did not have the heart to tell her that.

In the end, however, he stared into her eyes and she into his. Time seemed to have slowed as they grew nearer and nearer to each other. Then, they-

"IRENE, WAKE UP!" the Judicator exclaimed with impatience. The Nyx jumped in surprise and looked around her. She realized she had been dreaming the whole time she stood there.

"S-sorry, Jude," She shrugged uneasily.

"Don't call me that," He snapped, "Now, look at this."

The Judicator replayed the video and it showed a hallway full of Corpus soldiers. They were all staring at the door in front of them with their weapons out as if they were expecting resistance. Irene didn't understand what was going on until suddenly the door exploded off its frame while flattening three crewmen. The next string of events happened so fast- a figure covered in smoke lashed out from the empty doorway and started hacking away at the Corpus mercilessly with a large staff. She eyed it more closely and saw that it was a war scythe that was ashen black like the assailant's armor.

The Judicator stopped the feed and zoomed in on the intruder's body. He pressed a button and the image started being enhanced until the fuzzy figure was completely visible. Irene's eyes widened in horror- she saw that the intruder looked like a Tenno operative. Strangely, however, it had the body of an Excalibur, but with a different helm on his head. She stammered, "That's-That's…"

"Yes," the Judicator said gravely, "It's him. Phobos has returned."

(Sorry about the chapter being a little short- I haven't had a lot of time to write my stories lately. Any way I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please feel free to review or comment- it keeps me determined to continue to write this and keep it updated sooner. Note: The chapter number has a glitch. Chapter 7: Who is the Enemy should be chapter 6. Sorry for the inconvenience.)


	7. Chapter 6- Who is the Enemy?

**(This is told from the POV of Regor as he ventures home to take the prisoners to be executed. Please don't be mad by how I made his personality different from the actual game. The reason is that I kind of hate his weird obsession with clothing and his taunts are kind of horrible- no offense. Anyway, here we are.)**

**Who is the Enemy?**

**-**_**The Voyager,**_** Tyl Regor's Scientific-and-Observatory Cruiser**

Regor took a quick glance at his data pad one last time before slapping his hand on his face in anguish. He muttered oaths against ten different gods of different religions and was stared at by his lackeys who wore blank faces. Regor's men were unlike the brainless troopers that were normally found among the Grineer ranks. They were intelligent, softer, and less provocative to combat; they were handpicked by Regor himself.

He yanked off his helmet and flung it across the room. It clattered on the ground noisily, but no one reacted immediately. His secretary asked, "Is something bothering you, sir?"

"This won't do…," Regor muttered sadly gesturing towards his pad full of reports, "Another failure…another meaningless death!"

He raised his voice on the last note and slammed his fist against the computer console with ferocity. His secretary shook her head as if this was a common occurrence. Regor, for the past fourteen years, has been looking for a formula to cure his degenerate brethren. This was a secret he kept from the counsel himself- he didn't trust them like Hek or Ruk did. He saw that their so-called "upgrade" actually was wiping the Grineer out faster than the war against the Tenno and the Corpus cult.

He recalled memories of having hands…hands of flesh and blood. He remembered the feeling of having air filling his lungs, and walking in the fields of grass on Earth with his own two unaltered feet. Regor closed his eyes and imagined a life without the need of cybernetic parts and could feel a hunger growing in his body.

"Sir," his secretary spoke up and snapped her master back to the world of reality, "The prisoners are awake."

Regor sighed with anxiety clearly within his mind and followed her to the containment deck two floors down. He greeted his fellow Grineer and would ask for updates on their research. His metallic heart sank when he saw their heads shaking for a successful find. Going down a stair case, he thought, _Should I even bother to search for a cure? Is it to vain of a task?_

He stopped before cell door and peered through the tiny window. There lay three Tenno on each bench- two male and one female. Upon capture, Regor had them stripped of their weapons, but surprisingly not their warframes themselves. When he was asked a question concerning their armor, he answered aloud so that the Tenno could hear as well, "Why not let them keep them on? It would be a dishonorable thing to part ones soul to their prized possession. Consider this; when a warrior is put to death, is it fair to bury him without his sword by his side? Their honor lies with those pieces of scrap metal so to force those things away from the Tenno is like a crime."

His troops made no objections. Instead they removed the warframes of energy from their power cells and discarded their weapons on a separate rack in the armory. Regor took note at the Rhino's Cronus long sword and held it with caution. He was very fond of such things and he was quite the collector. In fact, on his own wall of weapons, there lay sixteen long swords varying from Mires, Skanas, and some primes.

Regor sighed lightly at the balanced feel of the blade, but shook his head. He can't take this- the warrior may have need of it yet if he _escaped_ miraculously. He set it on the confiscated weapons rack and walked leisurely down the hall way. He returned to the cell containing the Tenno warriors and ordered for the door to be opened.

The guard looked at him uneasily, but he complied nevertheless. It groaned and screeched against the metal gears that were pushing it away from the opening, and it gave Regor quite a headache. The Tenno looked up from their positions and became alarmed when he stepped in.

The Tenno eyed him closely and realized that he was unarmed. _Is this their chance? Do they now have a chance to escape?_ The female rolled her hands into fists just when Regor said, "I wouldn't try that if I were you. I made sure that my men had bound you with Orokin handcuffs."

The Tenno looked down at their wrists and ankles, but found no such thing. Regor sighed irritably and snapped, "You Tenno are so dull. Orokin handcuffs are made out of pure energy. All I have to do is say the magic word and you'll be bound up like a birthday present. But, there are two words…one to restrain…one to release."

He let the message sink in before demanding, "Now…which one of you is going to tell me first how my superior Vay Hek was murdered?"

Silence was the given response.

Regor curled his lips into a wicked grin and asked, "Why the silent treatment, huh? Do you think that just because you won't talk…you are strong?! Do you think because you have the strength of a warrior…iron will of a hero?!"

The Tenno flinched slightly and they shifted uncomfortably on their benches. Regor continued, "That armor…has corrupted you. Then again…it may not be entirely your fault."

The Excalibur looked up and was expecting him to continue his rambling. Regor eyed him closely and whistled to a guard. Two seconds later, a Grineer Lancer entered the room bringing a holographic projector the size of his fist. Reluctantly, the Lancer gave it to his commanding officer and then glared at the Tenno warriors.

"_Petutela_," He spat and he exited the room with his boots clanking noisily on the metal deck. Regor sighed saying, "Excuse Heltis and his habit of giving poor hospitality to guests."

He said the word _guests_ even though it literally meant "prisoners" in the Tenno's part. Regor waved the projector in front of the Tenno and asked, "Do you know what image is going to appear, Tenno?

Of course, there was another awkward silence. Regor rolled his eyes in expectancy. He flicked the switch beneath the projector and a picture flickered to life.

"The Lotus," the Female Mag spoke up.

"I'm happy you recognize your slaver," Regor said with a snarl.

"Slaver?" the Excalibur snapped, "She saved us from you! She…"

"She _uses_ you," Regor corrected, "She makes you do all her dirty work and why; because it is a _righteous_ cause."

"Your point?" The Mag asked.

"My point is what? Are you dull?!" Regor shouted, "For beings that descend from the Orokin themselves, you are so naïve. The Lotus speaks of justice and of restoring the universe to peace, and you haven't felt anything disturbing in any of your so-called "Missions of Cleansing"? You made everyone's world a lot worse than it already was!"

He continued on to stop all attempts to answer with an angry retort. He wasn't finished just yet.

"Before you showed up, the Grineer paid little thought about the humans or any other race. Now that you provoked their tempers, you made them wage a full-on war against humanity itself- considering you are no different than a human being yourself! Think about it! Did you really think that killing those who are against you is going to restore balance to the system?"

The Tenno warriors did not answer. They hid their faces in thought and were reconsidering all their actions in the past decade of their missions.

"Look at me!" Regor snarled, "Do you know who I am? I am Tyl Regor- the lead scientist of all genetics in the Grineer Empire! But I do not wish to use my talents to KILL! You Tenno are misguided into thinking that all Grineer and Corpus are wicked- blast that b*tch! Even the cultists aren't all evil despite my loathing for their ways. Do you see this?" He pointed to his face which was partially covered in metal plating. "This cybernetic limbs and armor are the only things keeping us alive for so long and we are still a dying people. My intent is to find a cure for the disease that has spread amongst my people!

"I don't care if you individuals killed Hek or not, he was a tyrant born and breed by the Queens themselves. He dreamed of a world where all the peoples of the galaxy would be like us- a "people of perfection". Was he ever so wrong in all ways possible! I'm happy- you hear, _happy_- that that self-conceited bastard has been banished to the gates of Hell! With him out of the way, I can continue my research without looking over my shoulder."

"The Queens allow you to do this?" the Tenno Mag asked.

Regor shrugged, "That's the catch- they don't. This project is mine and mine alone. If they discover it…"

Regor shivered at the thought and looked closely at the Tenno now. He could feel the uncertainty in the air and was glad that they were beginning to see things his way. He then remembered what his soldiers were saying about what the Tenno were ordered to do on that Corpus vessel. So he asked them, "Your mission on that cruiser, what were you looking for?"

"The Lotus said there was an important artifact stored amongst the Corpus cargo hold," the Tenno Rhino finally spoke up, "We discovered no such thing and all the crew were missing."

_Interesting,_ He thought. Regor crossed his arms over his chest plate and said with a sigh, "I suppose you'd be happy to know we found them."

The Tenno looked up to him. He said with a steely tone, "They were found dead- floating in empty space outside the cruiser."

The Tenno shook their heads in disbelief and it got worse when he added, "What you were looking for wasn't Orokin-based either. I sent a message to a Corpus medical crew to send me some research on how to use the crystal Rubedo in my quest for a cure. It was all put in that cruiser for _me._ When we found it, it was missing and we found you there."

There was a flare of anger in the glint of his eye, "I suspected you to have stolen it at first, but now I see you are just as much in the dark as I am. However, I am not allowed to release you, I'm afraid. You are charged for the murder of Hek after all."

The Tenno stood up all at once, but he put up his hands and insisted, "I tried, believe me, but the Queens are too outraged by his sudden, ah, end to give a damn about finding the actual culprit."

"You have to do better than that," the Excalibur snapped, "It's no fair that we have to die for the crime of another."

"I agree," Regor nodded, "but what am I to do? I am already at risk for my project to end our curse. What can you give me to do such a thing as betray the Queens' trust?"

The Tenno paused to consider and the Rhino answered, "We can give you access to the Orokin medicinal artifacts we discovered in the past 3 years."

Regor gaped at their offer and asked, "How much?"

"So much as we needed; approximately three storage rooms just to put it all away," the Excalibur answered while scratching his back.

"Is it worth my help- I mean, to give me all those precious artifacts?" Regor was still unsure about their generous bargain. He smacked his dry lips for an answer while folding his hands behind his back. All three Tenno nodded.

"Well," Regor said finally with a broad smile, "How can I refuse?"

…

Heltis was a bit shocked to see the Tenno captives released unto the prison deck without restraints and he instinctively drew out his Grakata. Regor came out a fraction of a second later and that made him relax a little. Regor grunted, "There is no need for the gun, Heltis. They're to be treated well."

Heltis looked at him with a look of confusion. He asked, "Aren't those Tenno are enemy?"

"Not any longer as of now," Regor answered, "Tell your men to stand down- I don't want them damaged."

Heltis growled in reply and spat, "What do these _Petutelani_ Tenno have of value that they are to be treated as honorable people."

The Excalibur balled his hands into fists and was ready to punch Heltis in the jaw. The Mag took to no offense and put a hand on his shoulder. The male looked at her and she shook her head. Violence won't change Heltis's opinion on them positively. He let out an exasperated sigh and unclenched both his hands and his teeth.

"Easy, Heltis," Regor hissed, "Remember to mind your attitude."

"But-"

"No _buts,_" Regor snapped, "These Tenno warriors are to be treated as equals…or else."

"Understood…sir," Heltis grit his teeth angrily, "What do they have to offer in return?"

"Orokin artifacts," Regor answered. Heltis's eyebrows rose and he was speechless. Maybe they weren't so bad after all. Heltis had been looking for a cure to their illness for months now with no success. If these Tenno are willing to give them some technology and knowledge from the Orokin, he may find one. Heltis smiled faintly at the idea of having no need of the cybernetic exo-suit of his and to feel as a human would feel the world around him.

"Well then…_Mea atilinai-_I apologize for my rudeness," Heltis bowed his head towards their former captives, "Allow me to show you around."

"We would be grateful," the Tenno female answered digging her elbows into her comrades' chests to prevent them from protesting against that idea.


	8. Chapter 7- Fear Lives Again

**Fear Lives Again**

"Master, thy task has been completed," a voice spoke in the darkness corner of the shuttle. His body was covered in black metallic armor and a foul helm covered his face. Lying before his kneeling body was a box. It was encased in lead and bonded together by metal sheets. It appeared at that moment that he was about to open it, but the one he was referring to "Master" spoke otherwise.

"Good," he replied with no emotion at all, "Send it to me immediately."

The man frowned, "What is the purpose of this chest? Shall I open it now and then send it to thee?"

"No," the Master snapped, "I want it here…unspoiled."

"Unspoiled?" he repeated nonchalantly, "What could this be that it can…spoil?"

"That is NONE of your business, Hirako," the Master said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. The man flinched for he had never heard anyone call him that in a long time- it was…curious that his master knew his servant's given name other than what his new name was. Hirako never told him nor suggested a hint to what it was.

In the silence that the assassin had given into thought, his master asked, "Did you happen to know that the artifact was also in the eyes of the Tenno?"

"It was?" the assassin asked suddenly snapped him back into the conference that started a few minutes ago.

"It _is_," the Master answered, "The Tenno are still looking for it. But seeing as though their agents were captured by the Grineer, where do you think they would go first?"

"Ah, it is great to give someone false information to throw them at your enemies," the man smiled then he frowned asking, "But…what if the Grineer realize the agents were NOT the ones who killed Hek?"

"It doesn't matter," the Master said dismissively, "Whether they did or not, the Grineer wouldn't care less- it is but a matter of ridding your foes. In addition the cyborgs in the Grineer ranks are as brainless as the automatons created by the Corpus; they only have one purpose in their insignificantly short lives and that is to serve- neither to question nor to argue to what is given to them."

"I see."

"Plus, giving them this information and them successfully capturing Tenno agents will grant us their trust," the Master continued with a sneer, "This will help in our plan."

"So this was your intention from the very beginning," Hirako chuckled, "Very clever of you."

"Report back to me as soon as the package is secured into my possession- and I mean it. It better be literally in my hand," the Master said ignoring his compliment.

"Understood, Master."

When the uplink had shut off, Hirako pulled up an image before him. It was a photograph of the Judicator. Hirako sneered at it and sliced through the hologram with his scythe at blinding speed.

"I hope you like the little present I left you…Howard," He snarled.

**Back at the Tenno Camp…**

"Browning still hasn't been found yet?" Conlin asked Madeline.

"No," She shook her head anxiously, "God, if he's seriously injured…"

"We'll find him," Hwang said reassuringly and firmly, "How hard can it be?"

"You said that two hours ago, mate," Sarah sighed with frustration to Hwang's repetitiveness, "Saying it again doesn't really help or encourage much of anything if we've already been searching without end, and-"

Conlin gave her a stare to shut her up and waved his hands to leave. Sarah huffed audibly and left stomping her feet out the door of the barracks. Hwang looked at Conlin with a confused look and shrugged.

"Go with her," Conlin said, "It'd be best if we go in groups of two again."

"What ever you say, Conlin," Hwang answered, "I hope we find him soon."

"Me too," Conlin said aloud even though Hwang was already leaving and could not hear him. With Hwang gone, it was just him and Madeline…great- just great. They may be "friends" but they didn't really like each other that much. Not only was this but their views towards Browning different. Conlin absolutely loathed him from the day he came to the camp a year ago. Madeline on the other hand, tolerated him enough to even be near him- heck, she even complimented him.

Now that Conlin was looking at her when Browning no longer stood by her side for the first time, he was thinking that there was more between them than meets the eye. Then again, what does he know about them? Conlin needed to stay focused. He turned on a map of the camp in the corner of his visor and scanned it for recognition of Browning's warframe. After two seconds, he had a hit. Conlin blinked in surprise and scanned again to be sure. Judging by the position of the green dot that represented Browning's current location, he was…

**Everest trail**

"Well, well, well," sighed Donavan who was shaking his head sadly towards the hanging body in front of him, "This isn't good."

Conlin gaped in horror to see Browning's warframe on the ground below his cut-up body above hanging by a rope tied to the tree branch. From the looks of it, Browning looked barely alive- not dead but almost. His face was brutally cut and bruised, and he wore a look of intense pain. Conlin looked towards Donavan for an explanation.

"I just came across this, lad," the Vauban shrugged, "'Bout three minutes before you did."

"Is that one of your traps?" Conlin asked.

"No," the hunter answered, "I only hang my prey…I don't mutilate the body. Look- there are slash marks all over-"

Conlin shushed him and pointed towards Madeline who was kneeling before Browning's destroyed armor crying. The hunter grunted, "From the looks of those wounds, he couldn't have been here for long- meaning that he can still be saved."

"Sarah is too pissed to help," Conlin grumbled recalling his conversation with their sassy medic, "We need an elder."

"Better send for one then," Donavan said nodding his head. He began talking to someone on his comm-link and moved away from the two Tenno for privacy. During that time, Conlin cut the rope that was tied to Browning's leg and eased his teammate's body to the ground.

Madeline quickly checked for a pulse on his neck and said worriedly, "He's fading fast."

Madeline glared at the Vauban and snapped, "Where's the elder?"

Donavan held up a finger because he was still in deep conversation with whoever was on the other side. Madeline growled in frustration and started to kick some stones around with her feet. Conlin noted her behavior and decided to not get in her way. Instead, he began to inspect Browning's wounds for himself.

There were no holes- bullet holes at least- which was a relief. There was a large red bump on his forehead which suggested that Browning was smacked by either a blunt weapon or someone's body. Conlin erased the thought of there being a fight because there were no signs of defensive wounds- he was unconscious.

The slash marks on Browning's torso were unlike anything Conlin made seen before. There were consistent and were all horizontally placed. He touched one of the cuts carefully and realized that they were all clean cuts. This worried him a little; he was thinking that the wounds could be deeper than he thought. Then Donavan put his hand on Browning's chest and inspected him as well.

"This is by no means the work of a sword," He murmured," More like a halberd. Perhaps an Orthos is responsible?"

"This can't be from another Tenno," Conlin insisted, "As far as I know; no one has ever had the motive to kill Browning."

"I pray you're right," Donavan said with concern laced within his words. Then he whispered harshly into his earpiece, "The elder isn't coming for about an hour- he's still teaching Unit 1 in the obstacle course."

Conlin's heart sank immediately and started to assess their options. If they stay, Browning would die. So their only option now, considering the elder that could not come, was to bring him back to camp. Conlin turned his head towards Donavan and asked, "Do we have something to put him in?"

"What?" Donavan stared at him blankly.

"A transport, a wheelbarrow, or anything like that," Conlin snapped irritably. Donavan shook his head before he even finished his sentence. Conlin swore quietly and tried to lift Browning up from underneath with his arms. If Donavan didn't know what he was planning to do, Conlin would have dropped Browning due to the sheer size and weight of him.

Together they held him by the waist and by his legs, and they began to carry him down the Everest Trail towards the camp. Madeline didn't trail far behind from them and they could hear her praying- praying that they would make it back in time. Conlin couldn't blame her for doing so nor did he want to. Browning groaned aloud within his slumber and that gave him a little hope.

"Hang in there," He said to his unconscious comrade," Hang in there."

…

The three Tenno were immediately met by the Judicator and a woman in a Nyx warframe by the entrance of the gate. Although they could not see their old officer's face, they could see him being in shock. The Nyx, on the other hand, had a straight face. Her hair sat naturally on her shoulders and her brown eyes piercing as they were concerned.

Their officer almost instantly ran towards them and barked, "What in the hell happened to him?"

He was gesturing his hand towards Browning who had now grown silent which increased Conlin's worry for his life. Conlin had no time to explain so he simply shouted, "We need a doctor now!"

It took more than five minutes to actually find one who wasn't in the mess room, and when they came back, the doctor's face twisted into a face of horror. He ran towards the wounded Tenno and rummaged through his medical kit furiously for something. Conlin could see that the wounds were worse than they looked and so did everyone else.

The whole entrance was soon crowded by Tenno trainees to look at the commotion which was focused upon the doctor and the grievously wounded Browning. The Judicator stood next to Conlin in silence, but the young Excalibur knew what he was thinking. So he spoke for him.

"There is only a small chance he'll live…isn't there?" Conlin asked quietly but loud enough to be heard. Madeline swiveled on her heel and looked at him with a face full of despair.

"N-no…he's going to make it…he's going to make it…you'll see," Madeline stammered while stifling a sob back down her throat. Unfortunately, this did not stop her eyes from dripping tears down her cheeks. Conlin should have stopped there, but he didn't.

"Don't torture yourself with false reassurance, Madeline," Conlin continued with a tone that surprised everyone including the Judicator, "Words cannot mend the dying or the grievously wounded- if it is his time…"

"NO!" She shrieked as she ran up to him grabbing Conlin by his throat. He made no attempt to stop her and instead gave her a disapproving frown. Madeline balled her fists and punched his helmet with full force which made his vision blur with a dull pain that was suddenly growing sharper.

"You're just saying that because you always hated him," She ranted wildly and threw another blow, "You're just saying that because you want him to die. It was probably you who attacked him- it must have been you!"

With that note, Ivy slapped her across the face. Stunned, Madeline fell on her rear without grace and stared at the Saryn with confusion. Conlin himself was a little shaken up by what Ivy had just done. Her words also added to his shock.

"Wake up!" Ivy snapped, "Can't you see that blaming Conlin does nothing for Browning? Conlin was with you the entire time you went to search for him! But no, your fear has taken hold of you, and you fear, even now, that Browning will die. So in your blindness, you hopelessly look for the culprit- even amongst your friends!"

Madeline didn't answer. She laid her head unto her knees and sobbed curling up in a ball. She rocked back in forth and Conlin just looked at her with pity. The Elder stood up slowly and looked uneasily towards the old officer of theirs. He said sadly, "I've done what I've could, Judicator. The rest is up to the Tenno and his will to live."

"Who would do such a thing anyway?" Hwang asked, "Grineer are rough but they are not _this_ gruesome."

All the trainees looked towards the old man with expectancy of an answer, and he gave them one.

"It is as Ivy has said," He began, "The culprit has done this terrible crime to aspire fear amongst our ranks. He is unfortunately more familiar to us than you may think."

To add to the suspense, the officer had paused and now finally continued saying, "The criminal is a Tenno indeed…one who has been banished from our people for three years."

Conlin looked at the Judicator with a baffled expression, and he knew everyone else was feeling similarly.

"What is most unfortunate is that he was a friend of mine," the Judicator sighed, "He was also more than just a friend…he was my student, my brother-in-arms, and to be my successor. Last I had seen of him was on Neptune- I should have made sure that I had killed the bastard then." He looked at Madeline. "If there is one to blame, it is me; for my softness and past with the Tenno before his corruption. But now that I know that he's alive…"

There was an almost sinister tone in his voice that Conlin didn't like. He took a quick look at Madeline who was still crying on the ground muttering Browning's name and then he stared at the wounds his fellow Tenno had sustained. He felt a fire burning in him…what was it called again? It was not fear, but anger.

(Okay… I bet you guys are wondering just who this a**hole is, right? Well, that will be revealed in the next chapter. I hope you enjoy this new chapter and please review or comment suggestions below.)


	9. Chapter 8- Betrayal Hurts

**Betrayal hurts**

**Psamathe, Neptune- 3 Years prior to Present Day**

When his Burston had run out of ammo, the Judicator- or Howard as he was once called- knew he was in trouble. The Tennos's target was resilient and a pain in the butt. The Hyena was and is still a prototype proxy for the Corpus. Its armor is incredibly thick, armed with Gatling machine guns, and can knock down any obstacle in its way; which was the Tenno.

However, something was different about this one- normally Howard could disable a proxy like the Hyena within five clicks of his trigger. It wasn't down nor was the armor plating even scratched. Howard had back-flipped away from the target right as it was sending a tremor through the floor, but he was still caught in the blast. He smashed into the wall bodily and groaned with a sudden pain in his back. An alarm flared yellow in his helmet as his shielding dropped dramatically. His allied Frost just stared at him amused from the deck above. His armor gleaming blue and pale grey with his Boltor held loosely in his arms.

"What was it you said about how shameful it was to be beaten by a proxy?" The Frost chuckled through the static in his helmet-mic.

"Shut up," Howard snapped as he struggled to stand up, "I'm not through with that piece of crap yet."

"If you say so," his friend shrugged turning his attention back towards the Hyena.

Howard threw his Burston aside and drew out his Lex whose silver paint gleamed in the light. Its grip fell comfortably in his right hand and the reflex-action of pulling the slide back felt nice- it was one of his favorite weapons. _Don't fail me now_, Howard said to his weapon.

Thankfully, the gun didn't reply.

He raised it up and aimed at the proxy with concentration with both hands on the grip. The Hyena had many exploitable weak spots along its sides and legs. Usually it could shut it down in a few well placed shots. All Howard needed now was a distraction to keep it from facing him.

As if it were a coincidence, the Ember threw a ball of flame at the proxy and was followed up by a wave of ice rushing towards it. The proxy's shields gave way to the powers of the two Tenno and it howled with a metallic voice as it honed in on its new target.

BLAM!

The proxy's left side was now scarred by a massive bullet hole and it stumbled to a stop. Howard thought it was over and he holstered his Lex gratefully. The Frost and the Ember gave each other high-fives before realizing it was getting back up again. Although a robot programmed without emotions, it seemed quite angry.

"_Enemy Proximity: Immediate… Defensive Systems…Employed: Dismemberment_", its voice box screeched as it stomped a shockwave through the ground once more. All three of them were instantly knocked down to their chests, but the proxy did not stop there. Two large rectangular panels began to open up on the flanks of its body revealing two missiles that were directly aimed towards Howard's friends. Again these were different and the Judicator held his breath. He recognized them from what the Jackal had and was not too happy about it.

"Move it!" Howard screamed at the top of his lungs, "Those are heat seekers!"

The Frost, still recovering from the tremor, tried to run away while leaving the Ember unconscious on the second deck. The first missile whistled out of the Hyena with lightning speed. Howard attempted follow the smoke trails it left behind and looked away as the projectile hit home- square on his friend's back.

The Tenno was flung into the air like a doll and hit the ground with a loud clunk. His body at an awful angle without his left limbs, Howard forced himself not to vomit. Instead, he turned to the attention of the Ember that was still where she was hit by the Hyena's attack. _The next missile will be directed to her unless I get its attention, _he thought while gripping his pistol tightly in his fist, _I have no choice_.

He opened fire wildly at his target and hit it a couple times before it was facing him. Sure enough, the second missile squealed towards him and was coming in fast. Howard ran as fast as his legs could take him and dove over the railing. The heat seeker missed him but only just. It exploded against the floor of the room only feet away from where Howard stood.

His sensors were blaring and indicated that his shields were almost drained from the blast. Annoyed he turned them off and quickly made for a charge towards the proxy. It let loose a burst of rounds at him, and then it went ballistic and fired at will. Howard felt the bullets smack against his armor and his body began to burn from the wounds he was sustaining. Still he kept charging at it and drew his sword.

The Hyena backed away as the Tenno jumped up in the air with his Skana held two-handed above his head. He yelled a battle cry as he brought it down upon its back. The entire body shuddered from the impact and shook the Judicator off with a spasm. He hit the floor besides his fallen companion and grimaced from the pains of his wounds. He took a glance at the Frost that lay lifeless below and then looked at the Ember that beginning to stir.

"_Illogical,_" screeched the Hyena as it swayed from side to side spraying black oil-like blood from the wound, "_Enemy…Defensive Systems…Offline…Illogical…Cannot be…Defeat…"_

The robot fell to the ground and did not move. Howard sighed in mixed relief and pain, "You lose…bastard."

He turned his attention to his allies and inspected them for a pulse. The Ember was alive and was stirring from unconsciousness. His other friend, however, he could not say the same. Indeed he was dead. Howard quickly gave him his last rites and undid the Frost's armband. It bore a white phoenix with its arms spread outward in triumph and a bright light shining behind its form.

"Father to one…brother to our family…Warrior to all," Howard muttered as he gripped the piece of cloth tightly in a fist. _What am I going to tell his friend's wife and daughter? _Howard thought desperately looking at the Ember for an answer.

"Howard," She said calmly, "We have to go. The Corpus Security will be here in a matter of moments."

"I'm not leaving his body behind," Howard answered starting to pick the carcass up by its right arm.

"It will slow us-"

"I DON"T CARE!" Howard shouted, "I'm not leaving him to the mercy of the Corpus surgeons and morticians. I can at least give him that much."

Her emotions were hidden behind her helmet, but he knew that she was thinking- calculating a way to escape this damned cruiser. She gave a defeated sigh and waved him to carry on.

**…**

The alarms were blaring in the intercom, but no one opposed the Tenno as they made way for the ships. It was ominously dark and quiet all throughout. Howard glanced around the corners and would find the occasional dead crewman sprawled mutilated on the ground. His eyes narrowed as he inspected the wounds of one of the corpses.

Clean cuts throughout- not the work of the average blade.

Suspicion filled his mind as they reached the docking bay. Howard laid the body of his friend on the deck and hailed his clan on the communication link, "Hawk, this is Falcon, requesting immediate evac over."

"Roger that, Falcon," answered the voice of the clan leader, "We're sending a cruiser in to dock with your pods- ETA 5 minutes."

"Understood," Howard sighed as he shut it off.

THWACK!

Howard instantly whirled around and his face melted into a look of horror. The Ember had taken her helmet off and he could see her blue eyes widen as she looked down as the large arrow pierced her chest. Her mouth twitched violently and she dropped her weapons. Blood was flowing uncontrollably as she fell voiceless to the ground- her eyes rolled up behind her head.

Howard looked down at the deck below just in time to dodge the second arrow. The assassin was wearing a strange suit of armor similar to the Warframe he had on but was wearing a different helmet- an ugly one. Howard lunged for the man and grabbed him by the neck. He smacked the assassin's bow away and pressed his Lex into the man's chin.

"Who the f*ck are you, huh?!" Howard yelled, "You f*cking piece of sh*t! I'm gonna kill you, but first, what the hell is your name?!"

"Howard-san…what are…you doing?" the assassin said through a choked voice.

He froze and asked, "Hirako? Is that you?"

The assassin nodded slightly, but that made Howard only angrier. He growled as he smashed the butt-end of the pistol fiercely into the Tenno's helmet until it finally cracked in half. As the helmet fell, Howard saw the horrified look on the man's face and the blood streaming down from his forehead.

"Why did you kill my friends- our friends?" Howard asked with a barely-controlled voice.

"I'm only…following orders." Hirako rasped as Howard started pushing him towards the docking area. Howard cracked his pistol on Hirako's shoulder, but held him up firmly after the blow. Forcing him up the stairs, Howard shoved him to the ground. As Hirako lay coughing, Howard was reloading his Lex.

"You dirty rotten traitor," Howard snarled throwing the empty clip downstairs which echoed against the steel floor.

"I told you, Sensei," Hirako wheezed, "I didn't want to…she-they told me to do it."

"Oh, I'm sure they did," Howard snapped sarcastically pulling back the slid of the gun.

When the Tenno assassin finally got up, finally facing his old teacher, he stammered, "H-Howard-san…what are you-"

BLAM!

A shot ricocheted off Hirako's armor and pushed him further back. He nearly lost his footing, but stood firm.

BLAM!

Another shot bounced off his breastplate and sent him slamming into the pod.

BLAM!

The ship suddenly undocked and the air was being vacuumed out to space as it departed to an uncharted position. Hirako made a run for something to grab unto, but Howard didn't give him the chance.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Now he was clinging on the frame of the airlock looking at his former mentor with mixed fear and horror as Howard raised his pistol for the final shot.

"Go to hell," Howard sneered as he fired the last round into Hirako's forehead sending him flying out into space-lifeless as a doll.

**Fifteen Days Later in the High Council Court…**

"…Howard Reagan," boomed the Court Judge, "You are charged for the murder of two Tenno- Miss Myers and Mister Hanamura-"

"Murder?!" Howard yelled struggling through his bindings in the middle of the room. Guards stood next to him on either side with grim faces looking down on him with disappointment and disgust. Howard couldn't believe this- he didn't kill his friend; Hirako did it.

"Hirako tried to kill us! I was defending myself!" Howard argued.

"Hirako was being sent to you to help you get the wounded back on the cruiser," The Lotus said calmly, "I have evidence from the autopsy that your Lex killed him- you fired seven rounds and fired two arrows; one of which slew Miss Myers."

"I don't even own a bow!" Howard exclaimed.

"Excuses!" scoffed the Judge, "The evidence proofs you guilty. This case I believe is quite finished."

"What should he be charged with?" the Lotus asked folding her hands on her lap.

"Death!" cried out a female who he recognized as his friend's little girl. _No_, Howard thought with a pained expression, _not you too. _There were numerous agreements and just as many disapprovals until finally the judge silenced them.

"So be it," the Judge said firmly, "Death is his punish-"

"Wait," the Lotus interrupted, "It'd be a waste of manpower to get rid of a warrior such as he. I vote that he should live."

There were several sighs of relief and many mutters of disagreement.

"He won't go unpunished, however," she continued giving him a look of pity, "I say, make him wear the armor of judgement for the rest of his life."

Howard gaped slightly and was suddenly taken away. His judgement had been decided.

**…**

The procedure was painful and would forever be seared into his brain as long as the Judicator lived. He was hung from the electric cords that were surging energy into the suit. He would be banished to do constant 24/7 active duty for quite a while, but at least he could still help the Tenno in their fight against the evil- even if it meant to never return from the field without permission.

He looked up towards the sound of footsteps and looked away for he knew who it was. A female wearing a blue and white Nyx warframe approached him slowly with her helmet tucked under her arm. Her brown eyes were brimming with tears as she suddenly broke for a run and hugged his dangling body. Howard wished he could return that love, but he couldn't.

She placed her hand on his face and whispered, "I'm glad you're alive."

"Really?" he laughed bitterly, "That's a relief."

"What's wrong?" She asked with a slight frown on her face.

"You hanging around me," he answered pointing his chin at her armband, "You could lose that if you're not careful."

"What does that matter to you?" she scowled, "I don't care that my reputation is at risk."

"But I do and so do the rest of your family," he argued miserably, "I am a disgrace to the Tenno, and I don't want that to cling to you too."

"So what are you saying?"

"Let me go," Howard answered with difficulty.

Irene looked at him with a look of shock and smacked him hard. She scoffed, "What is going on with you? Do you really think feelings can be dropped like that- over such a small thing?"

"That small thing can get you killed, "Howard argued with a raised voice, "Look- you have better things to do than to talk to me. You should go."

Irene opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it knowing that his mind has been set. With sadness in her eyes, she kissed him on the cheek and left the room. She didn't even look back.

To his surprise another figure entered the room- the Lotus.

"My, my," She sighed, "What a lovely pair you were… too bad that it was never meant to be."

"What do you want?" Howard asked with a tension suddenly going through his body- _danger_, it was saying.

"I see you have already gotten your neural connection online, "the Lotus remarked ignoring his question.

"I said, 'What do you want?'" Howard asked again.

"Straight to the point," the Lotus chuckled but it sounded more like a hiss, "Maybe I chose wrong, but then again you are a useful pawn."

"I don't _like_ being used," he growled leaning forward with a malignant gleam in his eye.

"Whether you like it or not, you will always be a pawn," She smiled with no trace of humor, "That's what your teacher told you, isn't it? Respect the chain of command?"

He froze for a second and then realization dawned to him, "You killed him."

"More like 'honorably died with honor intact'," She answered, "After all, you are his student who became a murderer. It brought shame upon him for he had failed to do his duty-to train you properly. You should have seen the disappointment and anguish in his eyes…and the straight face he had when he was ordered to commit Hara-Kiri in your former clan hall by the Council. It was fun decapitating him and spilling his red blood all over the floor at the rate of a fountain."

Howard lost control of his temper once again and lashed out at her, but she was too far away to strangle her neck. The Lotus licked her lips and began to walk to him.

(A/N: Yeah…I made her a sadist…)

She whispered in his ear- her breath warm on his face, "You'll get used to orders soon enough. Whether you like it or not, you will follow chain of command. Just like your friend- what was his name? Hirako, I believe?"

Howard's anger burst and he lunged for her neck. But she disappeared in a cloud of black mist with her laugh echoing in the room. His screams and curses filled the entire Clan Dojo for the rest of the night- echoing his feelings of betrayal and hurt.


	10. Chapter 9- Change of Plans

**Change of Plans**

**-**_**The Voyager**_**, Tyl Regor's Scientific-and-Observatory Cruiser**

The sudden thundering of cannon fire slammed the crew into the walls and the deck. Alarms were blaring and the intercom had a speaker shouting hurriedly in the Grineer tongue. It was too fast for him to hear so Heltis pulled up the Rhino to his feet and ordered a Lancer for an explanation.

"A Corpus cruiser has engaged us on the port side, _Sirle_," the soldier answered with a shake of the head in disbelief towards the freed Tenno that were clinging on the rails next to him.

"How did they find us?" Heltis asked.

"Don't know, _Sirle_," the lancer shrugged checking if the safety was switched "off" on his Grakata, "The _Petutelani_ _Corpato_ came out of nowhere."

Heltis looked back the Tenno and gestured for them to follow him. They ran ducking under pipes and brushing past the frantic crew as they were going to battle positions. Through the clear metallic glass, he could see the ugly silver cruiser from a distance no greater than 2 kilometers. The Corpus cruisers were usually armed with at least 30 Gauss-Grade Plasma Cannons on each side- from where he was standing, he could say it had 44 port side of the ship.

Heltis's shoulders sank as he remembered the amount of damage that one cannon could do to a Science Vessel. A few years ago, he was nearly killed by an explosion caused by one. Then seeing Regor barreling towards them, he decided to not think about it anymore than he needed to.

"Warp engine is blown to bits," Regor grumbled bitterly. He had his mask back on his face and was carrying one of his favorite Skana from his collection. He explained, "The _Corpato_ took a cheap shot down the stern. Remind me to ask Calkith to move it a little more towards the bow."

"Noted, _Sirle_," Heltis nodded.

"Speaking of him, I'm going to need to talk to him," Regor added, "Get the intercom ready."

"Don't you Grineer have any defenses?" the Excalibur asked interrupting the Grineer soldiers' conversation

There was a long moment of silence between the two Grineer officers, but the answer was obvious.

"How do you _not_ have any cannons on this thing?!" the Rhino snapped making a wild hand gesture which was very rude.

"It's a Science vessel," Regor answered calmly, "We do not go into combat as frequent as the other types of ships in the navy."

"It's a GALLEON!" The Tenno shot back, "The ones we infiltrated had at least 20 on each side! What did you trade for weapons anyway…flowers?"

Again there was a long silence before Regor said sarcastically, "Well, they were pretty and smelled good."

"You have _got_ to be KIDDING!" the Rhino cried hysterically, "We get captured by him and a whole boat-load of troops, and it turns out they are TREEHUGGERS!"

"Now, Damien," the Mag put her hand on his arm firmly, "At least they got this far without being killed."

"Lady's got a point there," added Heltis, "But so does that _Reano_. We have no long-ranged weapons powerful enough to counter theirs. The troops only excel at close to mid-ranged combat."

"Then send the Drillers," the Excalibur said.

Heltis shook his head dismissively, "They can't travel that far and they'll be immediately spotted on the radar."

"How is that?" asked the Tenno.

"A large cannon round-like projectile moving at a speed of 68 mph and spinning like a football is not that hard to see out your window," Heltis chided, "Besides we only have two after the raid on the previous cruiser."

"So what are our options?" the Mag asked.

"Either we make a plan or we're toast," Regor said gravely.

…

Corporal Calkith was having a really rough day. First, he discovered that the Corpus cargo ship did not have what they were looking for, then they find three Tenno warriors, next another Cruiser came and is now firing at them, and lastly his warp-drive was ruined. _Did someone break a mirror or something?_ He wondered as he fussed over the burnt pieces of shrapnel from the ship's engine.

Four Grineer lancers lay either moaning or completely silent besides him, and that convinced him even further that the crew was experiencing some seriously bad luck.

"Calkith, tell me you have some good news," chimed _Sirle_ Regor over the intercom. Calkith froze- if Regor was calling him, the situation was worse than he expected.

"_Negativo_," Calkith answered with bitterness in his metallic voice, "The main engine has taken quite the beating, _Sirle_. We are like fish in barrel."

"Can you fix it?" his officer asked anxiously.

"Ah, affirmative," Calkith replied pulling out a fire extinguisher from his tool kit, "But it will take weeks-maybe even months."

"Damn," Regor muttered, "Can you fix the Warp engine?"

"Uh," Calkith inspected the machine with a glance and answered with a shrug, "Yes. The damage wasn't as bad as the others. Give me at least an hour or so and some spare salvage."

"Good," the Grineer commander said, "I'll send Isbeth to help-"

"NO!" Calkith snapped, "Don't torture me, Regor. I can't work with that…_woman_ around."

"Would you rather I send Heltis?"

Calkith bit back an angry retort- Heltis wasn't any better than Isbeth. He was worse. The corporal muttered, "No."

"I can't hear you," Regor replied.

"_Negativo_," Calkith said with a louder voice.

"Then I expect you to get the job done," Regor said with satisfaction in his voice, "Regor, out."

Calkith looked at the warp generator and shook his head, "Hopefully, she won't screw up this time, or we'll be in this situation for a while longer."

…

"An hour, he said?" Heltis asked.

"Indeed," Regor answered with a nod, "hopefully, we live that long."

"Did we come up with a plan yet?" Damien grunted with his arms crossed. He was leaning against the wall with his Boltor fit snuggly on his back.

"The only way we can be rid of the Corpus is to infiltrate the cruiser itself," Heltis replied to the Rhino, "Drillers won't work so…we'll need to resort to _that_."

Regor and a couple other listeners shivered at the horrifying thought. Though, it was obvious that the Tenno had no idea what the Grineer crewmen were thinking. Whatever _it_ was, it probably wasn't safe. The Mag took the dive and asked, "Okay, what is _it_?"

There was silence at first, but Regor was the one to answer. He explained, "A few years back, the Queens made a requirement for all Grineer vessels to have a launch pad."

"That is supposed to be scary?" grunted the Excalibur who didn't understand the point.

"It is a _teleportation_ pad," Regor sighed scratching the back of his helmet, "The idea was ingenious…at first. We had-um- malfunctions in the transportation part."

The Tenno stared at them blankly.

"Imagine being hurled into pitch black darkness," Heltis rolled his eyes, "Then waking up missing a limb or two. Either that or the destination such as Mars, puts you 10 miles in the atmosphere."

"Or both," added a Lancer.

"Remember Argil?" said another who was sitting next to Damien cleaning his Grakata.

They didn't say anything, but shivered quietly at the thought. _Argil obviously didn't make it back in perfect condition_, thought the Mag.

"Is there another method?" She asked.

"No, I'm afraid not," Regor shook his head sadly.

"Fine by me," the Excalibur said with renewed conviction, "Let's get them."

The Tenno grunted in unison.

"Are you crazy?" a Lancer asked with a voice full of surprise.

"You might get yourself killed! Recovery will be impossible!" chimed in the other.

"So what?" Damien retorted, "We're Tenno, are we not? We fear nothing- we live for combat and for the battlefield. That is our way- to fight or stand aside. Well, we will not just sit idle!"

"I admire your commitment, but why would you fight alongside us?" Regor asked, "Are we not your enemy?"

"The Corpus are our enemy as well," the Excalibur replied, "As the old saying goes, 'The enemy of my enemy-'"

"Is my friend," Regor completed with a faint chuckle, "Very well, just don't forget about your promise."

The Excalibur smiled beneath his visor, "Don't worry, we won't. I swear on my life."

"On your life," Regor repeated, "Interesting. I shall take that to heart then."

He turned to Heltis and said, "Tell the crew to prepare the pad."

"Understood, _Sirle_," Heltis answered with a salute. He sprinted away down the corridors and the Tenno watched him go until he was no longer visible.

**Back at the Tenno Camp…**

"Today," the Judicator exclaimed, "is the day you become what you were meant to be- the greatest force of warriors Man has ever known."

The Unit 5 members were lined up toe-to-toe in front of the firing range, and were quiet. They were already a crippled section. 2 Tenno trainees were in the infirmary, and one was forced into therapy. Conlin felt guilty even if he didn't cause any of his team's mistakes. He could guess that their officer was hoping to lift their spirits up by finally taking up arms to practice their aim, but it wasn't working- it made him feel worse. _Browning would have loved to finally fire at something_, Conlin thought sadly.

The Judicator stopped pacing and stood directly in front of Conlin.

"Conlin, what is your problem?" the officer asked.

"Nothing, sir," Conlin answered nonchalantly.

"THEN STAND UP STRAIGHT AND KEEP YOUR EYES UP FRONT!" He yelled into Conlin's face. Immediately, Conlin's posture shifted and his slouch vanished.

"Listen up, you boneheads, you are about to fire a weapon for the first time in your puny little lives," the Judicator said as he paced slowly in front of the trainees, "I expect that you follow the rules of the range."

He stared at Ivy and asked, "What is the first rule when firing your weapon?"

"Hit your target, sir!" She answered her helmet unmoving to face him.

"BULLSH*T!" the officer yelled, "If you don't even know that rule, what the hell are you doing in my range?! What is the actual answer?"

There was no response.

_Good,_ he thought, _they are getting better_. He shouted, "Hwang, what it the first rule of the range?"

"Pay attention to your surroundings, sir!" Hwang answered.

"You got that right, Gook!" the officer nodded.

"Gook?" Hwang asked with confusion.

"Yeah, that's your name," the Judicator answered impatiently tapping his foot on the tiled floor.

"But…that isn't Korean…"

"Jeez, Hwang," the Judicator waved his arms towards Hwang, "You need to get out more and learn the slang used today."

He turned around and randomly selected a weapon off the table. He pulled it in front of him and examined it quickly. He raised it up so everyone could see it and said, "This is the Lex- a pistol that can save your as* when firing at a target from 50 meters or more. It is light, reliable, and extremely accurate."

"Isn't that thing as slow as a turtle to fire?" asked the Nyx. The Judicator gave her a stare, and she suddenly wished she didn't talk.

He paced towards her until they were a foot apart. He spat, "Name."

"Elizabeth O'Brien- Nyx," She answered immediately.

"Well, looky here, we've got ourselves a f*cking chatterbox," the officer snapped, "Tell me something, do you like dying?"

"What are-"

"Answer the damn question!" the Judicator shouted.

"No, sir."

"Do you like getting your as* kicked?"

"Not at all, sir!"

"Really?" the Judicator said sarcastically, "I bet you're the type of b*tch that would face the enemy in the eye, and you don't have the guts to even mow him down. Am I right?"

"No, sir!" Elizabeth answered loudly. The Judicator tossed the pistol at her without warning, and it landed in her hands. She tilted her head in confusion. The officer put the grip in her fist, finger on the trigger, and forced the barrel to his head.

The Unit members held their breath as they realized what was going to happen. _Don't do it, Lizzy,_ Conlin thought quietly as he saw her try to move it away. The officer's grip was too strong and it remained planted on his helmet. No one can survive a point blank shot from the Lex- not even if they were in that Judicator frame.

Irene was watching from a distance, by the doorway, and found the situation interesting. _What are you trying to do, Jude?_ She thought quietly as the drama continued

"If you really have the guts to kill someone," the Judicator explained, "You will shoot me now."

"Sir, I can't," her voice started to crack in fear.

"If you don't shoot me in five seconds, you will regret it for the rest of your goddamn life!" the Judicator exclaimed.

_One._

The pistol was shaking in her hand and the Nyx was breathing heavily on deciding what to do. _Two._ She still wasn't budging.

"Lizzy! Do something!" Conlin couldn't take it anymore- she has to act.

"Quiet!" the Judicator snapped, "Four…"

"I c-can't…I can't do it," She sobbed. She was starting to get hysterical.

The Judicator growled in disgust and took the pistol away from her grasp. He shook his head in disappointment and said, "You asked for it."

He lifted the Lex towards her and fired off a round. She was flung across the range and landed on the ground. The Tenno stood dumfounded and were all in shock. Then, she started to get back up and they saw that there was a visible dent in her armor. There was also a faint pigment of pink in the dent that did not match her armor- bright blue paint.

"You're lucky that this has only training bullets in it," the Judicator snarled, "If I was using live rounds, you'd be in pieces and already be in the morgue by now."

Elizabeth asked weakly, "So…if I had shot you, you wouldn't have died?"

"Yes," he answered with a nod.

"Then what was the whole point of that?" She complained with a coughing fit.

"If I had told you it was a test, you would not have felt the tension of one who has to kill a living being," the Judicator said aloud for the rest of the unit to hear, "Shooting a man with paintballs is one thing, but when you are out on the field, the danger is real. Had you been in combat for the first time, and an enemy trooper was about the shoot either you or your comrades, would you have shot him back? I'm asking from what we have just witnessed now."

Elizabeth wanted to argue, but she helplessly shook her head.

"That is why I tested you," the Judicator said with a nod as if to confirm his thesis, "To prepare you for that time, and to overcome that fear."

The officer looked at the rest of the unit and said, "Pick a weapon and start blasting those paper targets. Then rendezvous at the obstacle course in an hour tops. If you require assistance, ask Elder Jeremiah for help- he's in the office down the hall."

The Tenno moved like a machine, and while they were shooting down range, the officer walked towards Irene. He asked her, "You wanted me?"

"As a matter of fact-yes," She said with a slight nod, "A transport is arriving from a clan dojo that was recently demolished by a rogue Tenno."

"So what does this have to do with me?" He asked.

"It is carrying the last three known recruits that are currently unharmed," Irene answered, "The clan is called **Cultum Assanii**."

The Judicator froze in thought. Where had he heard that name before? Then realization dawned upon him and he asked, "Let me guess, Kyght sent them?"

Irene smiled thinly.

"He always did model after me, huh?" the Judicator joked. Kryght, as he recalled, did like the amount of authority and power that came out of the Judicator's method of training recruits.

Her smile faded, and Irene scowled, "No, he doesn't- you are just _so_ full of it sometimes, Jude. They will be arriving shortly- I'd get ready to meet them if I were you."

(A/N: I asked permission from the **Doctor269** to use some of his characters in collaboration for this fanfiction. So if you recognize the names, please don't try to kill me. Make sure you check out his works.)


End file.
